Cactus Jack
by cwenraed
Summary: Vinzer Deling, lifelong president of Galbadia. An old man with an ugly heart yearns for tenderness. Written for the Successor Challenge in 2018.
1. Gerogero

"Revolting. How _dare_ you display these?"

Vinzer Deling, lifelong president of Galbadia, swept his arm across the table and the offending photographs scattered. He wasn't wrong; the images were truly disgusting. Depicted in blurry black and white was the grisly aftermath of a brawl between one of his body doubles and a group of would-be assassins. Scraps of undead flesh and claws floated in puddles of unidentifiable slime. Even the walls and ceiling were sprayed with viscera, the nauseating result of Gerogero's maddened death throes.

"Someone will speak. Whose fault is this? Surely you won't tell me that making me sick is an acceptable use of military resources." Vinzer folded his hands neatly on the table and glared around the room. The assembled military officers and advisors, supposedly brave and accomplished men, had fallen into abject silence at their leader's rebuke.

"The Gerogero creature did complete its mission," one of the youngest uniformed men spoke up at last. His words came slowly, quietly, carefully chosen. The poor boy, a newly graduated SeeD from Galbadia Garden, had likely thought he could find the right words and distinguish himself. "The pictures are... unsettling, yes, but we're recovering very useful data from the remains. We exposed one of the resistance groups. And you're safe, sir!"

Vinzer rolled his eyes theatrically. "Spare me. You've exposed the resistance, have you? Then where are the pictures of _their_ corpses? Why are we wasting time looking at a pile of guts soaking into one of my suits?!"

Cowed, humiliated, the young SeeD simply stared at the floor. Some of his nearby comrades shuffled aside, while those across the room fixed him with haughty sneers. Unsubtle attempts to ingratiate themselves with the volatile president. Vinzer appreciated the craven predictability.

At the president's right hand, 'Fury' Caraway reached out for one of the photographs, neatly flipping it upside down. One of Galbadia's senior generals and a man of some charisma, he had always been an essential damper on the president's foul moods. Relief washed over the room as his measured, calm words finally joined the conversation. "The bioweapon was a failure. The terrorists escaped. The footage we have is embarrassing to our military. We must do better, gentlemen."

"These 'Forest Owls'," Vinzer snapped.

"They'll be destroyed. We have footage of their train leaving Timber. They can't hide."

"The photographs. The creature."

"Destroyed as well. The bioweapon's design was in extremely bad taste. I apologize."

Vinzer allowed a thin, pursed smile. "At least one of you understands your job. Very well. You're all dismissed."

Military officers and civilian advisors alike stood to attention, then abruptly rushed for the door. Caraway waited until the hallway outside was silent, then returned to his seat next to the president. His voice was softer now, but no less precise. "You know, I've read the full report, and it's good. The level of detail is exemplary. That boy you singled out is a bright one."

Vinzer sighed, waved his hand dismissively as he leaned back in his chair. "Martine's newest graduates are all the same. Impetuous and disrespectful. I want soldiers, not adventurers."

"Are you still going to Timber?" Caraway lowered his voice. "After today, I'm not sure we can guarantee your safety. We should be very careful."

"My train departs shortly. The television broadcast will take place immediately upon my arrival. But I don't need your guarantee, Caraway. As you know, I have additional protection."

Caraway grimaced. "Yes, sir. I'll escort you to your vehicle."

‡

Outside, the lights of Deling City glittered in puddles left by a light summer rain. The air was warm and muggy. Vinzer Deling stepped out to the road, where an armoured navy blue G-Limo waited, flanked by four soldiers on idling motorcycles. A distant bell tower was pealing out the first few notes of Galbadia's anthem, affectionately nicknamed 'Cactus Jack'. Three hours until midnight.

Protocol required that Caraway should accompany Vinzer to the vehicle, open the door, hold his umbrella if necessary. However, he stayed well back, standing to attention and saluting from the entrance of the military headquarters. Vinzer opened the massive door himself, and ignored the general.

Inside the G-Limo, the air was freezing. Vinzer took his usual seat, his back to the concealed driver, and smiled, really smiled for the first time that day. He seemed to escape the day's stress as easily as he escaped the cloying air outside. He had come to embrace her chill.

Across from the president, she sat in shadow, motionless. Her sinuous purple dress was otherworldly against the backdrop of the bulky armoured vehicle. Her hands were delicately folded in her lap. Her face was concealed behind a blood red mask. Meditating, perhaps. He joined in for a moment, until the vehicle began to move.

"Edea, I'm here," Vinzer said softly. "I'm so glad to see you. Such a pleasure to travel with you."

She made him wait for several long seconds before her mask vanished in a shimmer of red light. He could see her face for just a moment, before the shadows returned. Was she smiling too? "President Deling… we must focus on our work. The announcement in Timber shall lead to the transformation of this world… the creation of a fantasy beyond imagination." She was gazing past him, looking somewhere else in time. Then her voice softened, and she finally looked into his eyes. She _was_ smiling, just a little. "We mustn't be distracted with your flattery... however sweet you might be."

Vinzer Deling's old heart leapt.


	2. Intervention

The first time Vinzer Deling met the sorceress Edea still felt like a dream. Working late in a study near his bedchamber, he barely noticed the ripples forming in the air at the edge of his vision. She sat in a leather armchair across the room as he read his reports, asking infrequent questions but mostly just enjoying the silence. He felt remarkably at peace.

She asked a specific question about the mechanisms of the newly built D-District Prison, and as she leaned in to point at the blueprints in his hand, he realized that she had been sitting right next to him all along. Her gloved hand brushed against his sleeve as he answered, and as he reached to turn the page, he yanked her arm along too. Somehow, her silk dress had snagged on the buttons of his jacket cuff. He apologized profusely as he struggled with his sleeve, but her charming smile dissolved the tension. As soon as they were free, he called a servant and ordered a pot of tea. Vinzer and Edea were still talking and laughing when the sun rose.

Sometimes there were other memories. A vortex of freezing cold air tore through the study, shredding books and blistering his skin. He stood transfixed as red-uniformed Elite Soldier bodyguards leapt to his defence, as their heavy powered shoulder armour was crushed by some invisible force in the blink of an eye. It was impossible to tell the noise of tearing metal apart from the shrieks of his men. A creature of sinuous silk and crackling magical energies and terrifying eyes stood in the eye of the storm, revelling in the destruction.

In both of the versions in Vinzer's mind, Edea made the same offer. She introduced herself as a sorceress, the sworn enemy of Galbadia, but only in the view of the small-minded. She could see such potential in their friendship. They could change the world, and live a fantasy beyond imagination. This was only the beginning. Their time would come.

‡

Galbadia's Presidential Residence was a jumble of clashing design choices. Smooth, curved steel surfaces and ornate painted designs evoked the fashions of faraway Esthar, while deep red flag banners and wrought iron gates matched the stuffy architecture of the surrounding Deling City. Inside, labyrinthine halls led from traditional chandeliered dining rooms to bizarre alien chambers of glass and tulle. It had been designed as an elaborate imperialist symbol, a pronouncement that the entire world could be ruled from this one building. The more artistic choices held little appeal to Vinzer Deling, but Edea had been delighted with her tour.

This night had been intended as a grand celebration, a chance for Deling City's generals, courtiers and socialites to meet the sorceress Edea before her inaugural parade among the general citizenry. It had all been quietly cancelled, of course, after the embarrassment at the Timber television station. A few snarling words from the president had seen to that.

The residence's grandest audience chamber sat almost empty, except for barren tables intended for cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. His schedule now free, the president had wandered through the room, grabbing a bottle of bitter Galbadian ale from a stray serving cart before finding his way to an adjacent balcony overlooking the city. Caraway hadn't been able to find him, but somehow Martine had known exactly where to look. As they approached, Martine had spotted the bottle and deftly picked up three more.

"Our government needs to retake the initiative," Caraway was saying. "We need to be back in control. We need to make an example of that boy in the television station."

"It's been taken care of," Vinzer replied with a shrug, exaggeratedly carefree. "You may announce Seifer Almasy's execution." He weighed the empty bottle in his hand and Martine quickly replaced it, smiling kindly.

Caraway gritted his teeth. "The next time he's seen in public will just be another embarrassment for us. I… appreciate that the sorceress has her own advice for you, but please don't ignore me. You know I have always had the best interests of Galbadia at heart."

"Did you know that the powers of a sorceress are received entirely involuntarily? Edea told me that she became a sorceress when she was five years old. Imagine that… _five_." Vinzer glanced away, taking in the lights of the city. "She has been hunted by men like us her entire life. She deserves to feel comfortable, she needs to feel trusted. I can do that for her."

Baffled by this expression of empathy, Caraway looked to Martine for support, but the headmaster was simply nodding along with the president's words. "Sorceresses are hunted for a reason. They're powerful, ambitious, aggressive. Very dangerous." Caraway's normally even temper was eroding quickly, and his words were becoming dangerously blunt.

Vinzer turned to face the other two men, gesturing to his heart with a clumsy old hand. "You don't know her. She's not like that... inside." He traced vague shapes over his chest as he struggled with the unfamiliar words. "She's terrifying, I know. She's a sorceress. But when we're alone, when she's sharing her thoughts with me, there's a different Edea… somewhere underneath it all."

Hearing this, Martine's mind was made up. He placed a hand on Caraway's shoulder to guide him back inside, but the general wasn't finished. Shaking free of the headmaster's grip, he stomped forwards until his chest was almost touching the president's. "You can't trust a woman like her," he snarled, "someday she's going to betray us!"

"Someday she's going to be-," Vinzer began, volume increasing sharply before his voice abruptly failed.

 _Lady Edea Deling_.

It felt like the words were going to burst out of Vinzer's chest. He wanted to seize the general by the throat and scream the truth into his stupid face. Let his deepest feelings pour out as he strangled Caraway for exposing this wretched weakness. Luckily, Martine got to Caraway first, hauling him away as Vinzer sputtered and seethed.

The president found his voice as the two men vanished inside, and hurled his ale bottle at the door as he uselessly barked after them. "I don't understand women?! Tell me, where's little Rinoa Caraway? I haven't seen her in _years_! _I_ don't understand women?!"

As they hurried out of the Presidential Residence, Caraway turned his frustration on Martine. "You didn't say a word to him! He would have trusted both of us!"

Martine smiled sadly and shook his head. "He's in love. Madly, hopelessly. He won't move against her, he can't." He took a deep breath, glanced behind them to make sure they were alone. "We need to do this without his involvement. I'm willing to discuss our backup plan."

‡

After midnight, Vinzer Deling paid a visit to the lounge within the stately Galbadia Hotel on the other side of the city. He left his luxurious G-Limo behind, instead travelling anonymously in one of the military's ubiquitous squat grey armoured cars.

At the bar, he met a certain young SeeD who had been living in fear since his embarrassing moment in the spotlight at the Gerogero debriefing. Expecting to lose at least a month's pay, a typical punishment in the Galbadian military, he was instead utterly staggered to receive a special request from the president himself.

Vinzer had presented a simple file folder containing several photographs of the sorceress Edea. Some were from makeup tests which she had barely tolerated in preparation for the upcoming parade, others were taken from security cameras within the Presidential Residence. Every single one seemed strangely out of focus.

"I need to know more about her. Birthplace, family… whatever you can. I'm told your espionage scores at Galbadia Garden were exemplary. Let's see those skills at work."

The young SeeD asked the typical questions. Accent? Birthday? Surname? Vinzer replied tersely, embarrassed to reveal he knew so little. They stared at the pictures for several minutes until the SeeD suddenly perked up. He grabbed a side view of the sorceress' ornate headdress, jabbing at it with his finger.

"These are seashells, right? Or, they're meant to be. Seashells and animal horns," he said, almost giddy with relief. "We figure out what species those are, and maybe that tells us where she's from!"

Vinzer considered this, then nodded and stood up. "You have your orders. Keep it quiet."


	3. Lenown

Seifer Almasy had no patience for the ceremony of a formal dinner, and made no attempt at hiding it. Each tiny plate of delicacies was met with a dirisive snort as he squirmed in his seat, leaving the attendants speechless. "What's this crud? You gonna serve any real food tonight, old man?"

Vinzer Deling utterly despised the boy. Beginning with their humiliating meeting in the Timber television station, he had been invariably rude to the president, using his new role as the sorceress' knight to insert himself into Vinzer's treasured private time with Edea. The sorceress seemed endlessly amused by his belligerent antics, as if he was an untrained puppy. She smiled broadly as he treated the president's subordinates with cruelty, as he mocked Galbadian customs and beliefs. How could this uncouth child have won her favour? Vinzer's jealousy seethed.

"I believe there's an excellent roasted cockatrice breast on the way," Vinzer replied, struggling to maintain an amiable tone. "Let's see to it that Mr. Almasy gets a triple portion, shall we?" An attendant nodded and scampered away to the kitchen, missing the president's barely audible conclusion. " _That should keep him quiet for a while_."

Seifer sneered. "Don't call me 'mister', I'm a knight now. I should be at least... Captain Almasy. No... Sir Seifer."

Edea nodded and gave his hand an encouraging pat. "Sir Seifer sounds lovely."

They were seated in an ornately decorated dining room in the Presidential Residence, surrounded by old oak furniture and finely gilded china. Edea sat at the head of the table, Seifer directly to her right. Vinzer sat in the proper place at the opposite end of the table, though he felt quite isolated. He'd tried desperately to invite Edea without her knight, but she had insisted on his presence. They would both benefit from his protection, she had said. Vinzer bristled at this, noting that the only credible threat to his life in years had been caused by Seifer himself. In the end, the president had even extended invitations to Caraway and Martine, hoping to distract Seifer before dinner with ale-fuelled tales of military glory. Both had flatly refused.

The dinner had to go on. It was too important to Vinzer. Recently, these moments of intimacy seemed to be vanishing from his life. As the date of the inaugural parade drew near, she seemed fixated on specific minutiae such as the exact time of the announcement and the position and phase of the moon. Even tonight, as Vinzer showered her with the finest food in Galbadia, she only wanted to discuss the ceremony.

"As I was saying before we were interrupted, I feel that the national anthem should be played after my speech, just before your grand entrance. You'd be surprised how well it resonates with the common crowd," Vinzer said, vaguely pointing a fork towards the open balcony.

Edea lowered her glass and scowled. "Really, President Deling? Cactus Jack, that tedious old dirge? It's time to move on from such things. This is about the entire world, not just dusty Galbadia. We've discussed this."

The sudden contempt in her voice stunned Vinzer, who stumbled over his words as he tried to construct a respectful defence of the anthem. True, the slow brass and military drums were hardly inspiring to a newcomer, but Galbadians had grown up hearing the melody. Vinzer himself felt a swell of pride whenever he heard it. Besides, tools like this were useful for inspiring blind nationalism within the population, an easily exploited trait.

Edea was at least listening politely, but Seifer interrupted with a smirk. "Tedious old dirge from a tedious old man."

Vinzer turned a withering glare on the boy as he finally lost his patience. "This is unacceptable. You will show respect at this table. Your manners insult my _invited_ guest, the sorceress Edea. This evening was meant for _her_."

Miraculously, Edea seemed to agree, and spoke to Seifer with a gently chiding tone. "Seifer, President Deling is our friend. Please apologise."

Seifer stared at the sorceress, mouth agape. "You're kidding. Apologise to this guy? I'd rather-"

Edea's golden yellow eyes narrowed and candles flickered as a chill blew through the room. It seemed some obedience was expected of the lapdog after all. "Be quiet. Now apologise or leave this room." Vinzer shot to his feet, his chair skidding noisily as he preemptively extended his hand for a farewell shake.

Muttering angrily, Seifer had to walk around the opposite end of the table to leave. As he passed, a triumphant Vinzer couldn't help but lean in for a whispered gibe. "Sent to bed without dessert. What is she, your mother?"

Seifer reacted as if he'd been slapped awake. Speechless and blinking dumbly, he stopped dead in front of the president. Vinzer's glee at finally hitting a nerve was tempered as he met the boy's eyes and remembered how young he really was. "Goodnight," the president finally snapped, and the knight was gone.

Behind the sorceress, a server hurried from the kitchen with a heaping platter of roasted cockatrice breast, proudly setting it down at Seifer's empty place. Vinzer rolled his eyes. "Take it away, you imbecile. Perhaps we'll move on to the dessert course. Yes?"

Edea sighed. "Very well."

‡

In the formal Galbadian dining tradition, the dessert course was a tremendously lavish waste. Dozens of beautiful confections would be rolled out on tiered serving carts, a feast for the eyes as well as the palate. Vinzer Deling had never enjoyed sweet desserts, but the unspoken true goal was to stun one's guests with a display of absurd wealth, and thus the pastry chefs of the Presidential Residence would not be outdone. Even Edea seemed to brighten somewhat, smiling faintly as she was surrounded by the eclectic colours and scents. Vinzer used the commotion to move, pointedly taking Seifer's former seat.

Eventually the room emptied, and a final servant returned with a cart bearing a single gilded teapot. Vinzer knocked the man's hands away and hissed. "I'll serve it myself. Leave us alone."

The unlucky SeeD cadet's report on Edea had arrived mere days before, making several diverse hypotheses about her origin. Vinzer had pored over every word, dismissing most of the ideas as overly hopeful nonsense, until one page caught his eye. Just as the SeeD had guessed, the red and yellow spiral design on her headdress was nearly identical to a mollusc found only on the former Centra continent, in a tiny region known as the Cape of Good Hope. It all made sense in Vinzer's mind. She certainly could have found a home in the ruins there, especially during the Sorceress War. In those years, Vinzer's own army had razed the rest of the civilized world hunting for women like her. Overcome with excitement, he sent for herbalists and scholars, who were mystified by his demands for an authentic Centran evening tea.

The result was a delicate white tea flavoured with spearmint, lemongrass, and a rare Centran spice called lenown. The subtleties were difficult for Vinzer to grasp, being used to the strong black teas preferred in Galbadia, but he'd been assured that the blend was perfect. He poured the tea with bated breath, one for the sorceress and one for the president.

Edea eyed her teacup with mild suspicion. "What is this?"

"Something special to celebrate our night together. I hope you'll enjoy it." Vinzer watched the sorceress give a patronising smile and reach for her tea, and found that in his hopeful excitement, he couldn't stay seated. Walking towards the balcony doors with teacup and saucer in hand, he found the courage to speak freely. "Edea, I need to tell you how important you've become to me. I know we're going to change the world together, I'm sure of it. You've already changed so much inside me. When all of this is over, I hope we can find time to relax. I'd like to take you somewhere peaceful, anywhere you like. I've heard that the Centran coast-"

Edea's teacup shattered on the floor. The noise was sharp and jarring, incredibly loud in the otherwise silent dining room. Vinzer turned in horror to see Edea wilting in her chair, head down and shoulders slumped. He'd never seen her in such a vulnerable state. She hardly looked like the same person. Vinzer stumbled across the room to her side, cursing his old legs. He knelt beside the broken teacup and took her gloved hands in his, looking up into her pained face. Her imposing sorceress' headdress suddenly looked ridiculous above her gentle features, like an outsized costume. When she opened her eyes, they were green.

Edea's voice was shaky, barely audible. "Vinzer..."

Vinzer squeezed her hands. They were warm. "Edea, what's wrong? You can tell me. You can tell me anything."

"You need to understand... the children from the Gardens..." Every word seemed to be a tremendous struggle.

"Don't worry about them," Vinzer snapped, "they'll be crushed. I won't let them hurt you."

"No... Vinzer..." Edea smiled sadly as tears welled in her eyes. "You've been so kind to me... but I can't fight this. There's going to be so much death."

Vinzer babbled, his mind spinning as he remembered the clues of the past few days. "I was right, I told them both, I _knew_ there was a different Edea somewhere inside. What's _happening_ to you?"

Utterly exhausted, Edea sighed and leaned forwards, resting her forehead on his. Her tears fell onto their clasped hands. "I think... there could have been a different Vinzer Deling, too."

Behind her, the servants' door opened again. Two attendants and a G-Soldier blundered in, summoned by the sudden noise and raised voices. "Uh... do you need help, sir?"

" _Out‼ Get out‼_ " Vinzer bellowed, and the interlopers scattered. Edea flinched hard away from his rage, pulling her hands back and cowering. In a panic, he stammered apologies as his clumsy hands grasped for her. She broke away, standing up sharply and glaring down with golden yellow eyes.

"You kursed wretch! You worm! What was in that kup?"

Vinzer stared, dumbfounded. "It was just tea... it was a special gift... I thought it might remind you of... home."

"Silence!" the sorceress shrieked, and a blast of freezing wind sent the old man crashing into the dining table. "My patience with you ends. Leave me until my ascension, do you understand?"

Vinzer moaned, clutching a wounded shoulder. His vision swam and he felt himself answering without a thought. "Yes, Edea. I will obey."

" _Sorceress_."

"Yes, sorceress."


	4. Succession

The last days of President Vinzer Deling drifted by in a confused haze. Pounding headaches came and went with increasing frequency. Eating and sleeping were an immense struggle, and concentrating on his work had become an impossibility. He hadn't seen Edea since the night of their dinner, and the endlessly repeating memories of his failure were the worst torture of all.

He sat in a dressing room adjacent to his bedchamber, staring into a mirror ringed by warm globe lightbulbs. His hands moved over the deepening wrinkles on his cheeks, tousled his hair to reveal just how many greys there were. He tugged at the knot of his tie, unfashionably wide and coloured in banal G-Army blue. He seemed to be the very picture of aging mediocrity, and imaginary voices jeered at him for ever thinking he had something to offer the magnificent sorceress.

An intercom buzzed. He glanced at his watch and hauled himself to his feet. It was time for the ceremony. At least he still had a place there.

‡

Vinzer left the dressing room and began his walk to the podium outside. Suddenly, a young girl rounded the corner ahead. She met his gaze, and reacted with utter shock, throwing herself against the opposite wall as if physically repelled. Her long black hair fell aside to reveal wide, guilty eyes. She wore a blue duster sweater and was clutching an ornate golden bracelet. She had grown up considerably, but her features were unmistakable.

"Miss Rinoa? Little Rinoa Caraway?" Vinzer managed to smile at the absurdity as old memories stirred. "I'm President Deling... your father's friend. You used to come to dinners here, when you were little. Do you remember?"

"Okay...?" Rinoa stammered, noncommittal. Her eyes were darting madly between him and the hallway, searching for an escape route. He stepped forward, babbling some misguided comment about her father, and she lashed out. Her swift knee connected with his gut, and the old man crumpled to the floor. Filled with adrenaline, she waved the golden bracelet in his face, years of simmering hatred erupting as the president retched.

"D'you know what this is, you bastard? It's an Odine Bangle! It'll seal up her powers for good! Both of you are gonna be finished!"

Vinzer blinked up at her in wonder. Disembodied voices screamed to get up and stop her, but he was suddenly far away, his mind filled with unlikely alternate timelines and impossible happy endings. There was something inspiring in the girl's energy, some inscrutable potential. She faced him with loathing and disgust, but in her heart Vinzer imagined peaceful blue fields and breezy, unpretentious love. For the last time in his life, the president felt a spark of hope. "Do you... do you promise? Can you really help her?"

Rinoa squinted. "What?" She was looking past him, watching the hall impatiently. Was the despicable old man just trying to distract her? She reminded herself that he wasn't actually the target this time, but in her excitement she'd revealed far too much. There didn't seem to be any option. Breathing hard, she glanced down at the blaster edge on her wrist. Vinzer followed her gaze, and lunged. He didn't catch the weapon, but she was forced to pull it back, giving him a few precious seconds to plead.

"No, please don't! I need to speak before the ceremony. If I don't, she'll know something is wrong. You're almost there, her chamber is just upstairs. I have to go a different way, I'm not allowed to see her." Vinzer's voice caught pitifully, and Rinoa cringed. He searched his addled mind for words of encouragement, something that would resonate with a young girl. It wasn't his style. "I believe in you," he offered lamely.

Rinoa looked nauseous.

‡

Below the Presidential Residence, the sorceress' celebration was starting. Cactus Jack had been omitted, of course. Instead, dancers who would soon lead the parade were already performing in front of the gate, limbs thrashing with bizarre abandon. Their exuberant, thumping music pervaded the air and made Vinzer Deling feel claustrophobic, even far above the street on the dais. Some among the crowd were beginning to sway and reel in clumsy imitation of the dancers, and anxious lines of G-Soldiers gradually lost ground to the swelling mass of people. He could hear incomprehensible chanting, but couldn't be sure if it was coming from the performers below, or from somewhere beyond.

 _Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec_

The idea that Vinzer could deliver a speech in the midst of this chaos was a cruel joke. Even if they bothered to listen to him above the din, what could he say? Admit his failure, tell them how they'd all been doomed to the wrath of a sorceress for the sake of an old man's hopeless crush? That he'd squandered his legacy for a fleeting moment of tenderness with a stranger, before his jealous rage had ruined his only chance to save her?

 _Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec_

As he cursed himself, Edea appeared from her meditation chamber, and the crowd roared. Her unleashed power overwhelmed his mind like a fearsome avalanche. Doubts and regrets and insecurities were swept away as Vinzer took in her radiance and embraced pure terror. He found himself obediently applauding along with the commoners, and beckoned her to the podium. Rinoa shambled along behind the sorceress, dazed and defeated, and Vinzer felt relieved to be free of the pesky notion of hope.

The sorceress strode past him without a glance and took in the view from the podium. The crowd fell into a rapt silence and the music cut, though Vinzer realized that the beat persisted in his throbbing headache. His broken mind marvelled at the scope of her power, and willingly submitted to the icy currents of her will. She began to speak.

 _(...?)_

At the appointed time, Vinzer felt her call. Edea was openly gloating, promising to slaughter men and destroy nations as she mocked the crowd for their weakness, and he realized that he had been chosen as an example. He stepped forward, feeling a twisted pride to be at her side for one last moment. Her left hand pulsed with dark energy and he'd never felt so cold. His cracking, bleeding lips began to move of their own accord, producing pathetic, moaning concern for the fearsome sorceress, a scornful dismissal of everything he'd felt for her.

"E-Edea... Are you alright...? Ede...!"

 _The End._


End file.
